


Filament

by roosebotlons



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Arya and Sansa are supportive sisters, Cross-Generation Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Grief/Mourning, Happy Ending, I killed Robb, Jon Snow is a Stark, Margaery being an A+ friend, May/December Relationship, Meet the Family, Older Man/Younger Woman, Rare Pairings, Sansa is in college, Stark family Christmas, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-01-20 22:17:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12442935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roosebotlons/pseuds/roosebotlons
Summary: Sansa and Davos have both experienced loss. They bond over their grief in a world that doesn't seem to understand living in pain.





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not really a writer, this is for my own enjoyment I guess. Updates will come when ever I have time, which is very rarely due to college. Also, this hasn't been edited for grammar/spelling errors yet, so beware.

Sansa smacked her alarm clock with a level of forceful annoyance only a college student on an early Monday morning could muster. She lied in bed, staring at the ceiling, allowing the odd heaviness that comes with not getting quite enough sleep to compress her body into the mattress. With a deep breath and a whispered sigh, she forced herself up to start the day.

Everyone says college is the greatest time in your life, right next to the birth of your first child and your first trip to Disney World. Sansa might have subscribed to these notions at one time, a time that felt like eons ago. Life had changed since then. These days she is simply trying to drag herself through each week with copious amounts of coffee and maybe more microwave mac and cheese than she’d like to admit. However, college wasn’t a complete hell-hole. She liked most of her professors, the classes could be interesting, and she had friends.

Margaery was probably closest to her. They had met senior year of high school, when Margaery transferred in after her family moved up North for her father’s work. Sansa hadn’t thought much of her at first, but after an incident involving glitter glue, a malfunctioning toilet, and the varsity basketball team, Sansa finally saw her kindness as well as her cunning. Three years later, they saw a bit less of each other due to Margaery’s many duties as President of both the Pride Club and Association of Female Engineers, but they both considered each other best friends. Most importantly to Sansa, Margaery was the only one that could really understand how she felt. She could be counted on to arrive at Sansa’s apartment with some chocolate and a bottle of wine in a heartbeat. With Margaery, Sansa never had to _explain_. Sansa could just sit and cry or stare blankly at the wall and Margaery wouldn’t ask questions or judge her.

The clatter of ceramic on cheap plastic woke Sansa from her reverie. She looked to see Theon’s cheeky smile and glimmering eyes.

“Earth to Sansa,” Theon mimicked talking into a radio “what is your location?”

“Currently, in the galaxy of doughy pancakes and cold sausage, Captain Greyjoy.”

Theon made a face as he looked down at his plate. “I thought that it looked better than normal today.”

“It’s _never_ better, Theon. You should know that by now.” She rolled her eyes. “Honestly it’s cruel that they make us have a cafeteria meal plan for our second year. I have my own apartment for gods’ sakes! I can take care of myself!”

“Well speaking of taking care,” Theon wiggled his eyebrows “would you be interested on going on an excursion with me and the boys tonight?”

“Theon, it’s Monday. You can’t get wasted on a Monday.”

Theon lifted his arms in mimicked offense. “Hey, who said anything about getting wasted? We’re just going out for some nice easy fun. Pod’s band is playing at The Salty Dog, and we need a DD just in case.”

Sansa squinted at him. “I thought you didn’t like ‘Hipster Folk Music’ as I seem to recall you called it.”

“Yeah, well a man can change his mind. Is that a crime? Plus Pod is a friend and he needs our support if he’s ever gonna take off and donate to my financial aid repayment fund.”

Theon rose from the table and grabbed his untouched plate. “I’ll text you later when we’re ready to go. The guys are gonna meet up at my place before we go.”

Sansa stared down at her runny eggs as Theon left. She really hated Mondays.

 

                                                                     

Pod did need all the support he could get. Sansa wouldn’t say ‘The Mossy Stones’ were _bad_ , but they definitely weren’t _good_. As she suspected, Theon and his party friends had only showed up as an excuse to get drunk. Not that she minded, but it was a bit akward sitting at a bar on a Monday night essentially babysitting seven childish young men.

Sansa sighed and took a sip of her margarita. She’d only had half of it so far and it was starting to get warm. She glanced around in the dimly lit room to do a quick head count of the boys and she noticed a man sitting at the end of the bar. Sansa furrowed her brow. When did he get here? It wasn’t like the bar was the hottest spot in town tonight so she surely would have noticed if someone new had come in. She inspected him again; perhaps she was simply mistaken? He was probably in his mid 50’s, with graying hair, a salt and pepper beard, round rimmed glasses, a crisp dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a seemingly permanent frown. No, Sansa had definitely not seen him before.

Theon approached, red faced and grinning like a simpleton. “Stark, come dance with me! You’re being all mopey again.”

“Thank you Theon, but I’m really not feeling it.”

“Oh, come on now,” he grabbed her arm and jerked her off the stool less gently than he intended to “you gotta have fun sometimes.”

Sansa steadied herself “Not tonight Theon. I mean it.”

“But Sansa-“

“The lady said no.”

Sansa turned in the direction of the gruff voice to find the man from the end of the bar standing a few feet behind her and Theon. _He must have come over when Theon grabbed me._

Theon let out a long ‘uh’ while looking between Sansa and the man. He wasn’t sure how to handle the confrontation, but luckily Sansa was quick to explain the situation.

“Oh no, everything’s fine. Theon here just doesn’t know his own strength.” She looked pointedly at Theon

“I’m sorry Sansa, really.” He pleaded, “Can I have a forgiveness hug?”

Sansa dramatically rolled her eyes. “Well, I suppose.”

She hugged Theon and quickly sent him on his way back to his rowdy friends. She turned to the man as he said, “A young man shouldn’t treat a young lady like that.”

“It was truly an accident,” Sansa assured him, “He’s never treated me badly in my life. He’s like my brother. I’m Sansa by the way.”

“Davos Seaworth,” He stuck out his hand “Pleasure to meet you.”

Sansa shook his hand “The same to you. Would you like to sit?” She motioned towards the barstools. He nodded. Davos signaled another two drinks from the bartender. As they sat, Sansa noticed a naval tattoo on his forearm. “My brother was in the navy,” Sansa pointed at the tattoo “he was stationed on Skagos.”

“A rough gig,” Davos smiled “came back with all his fingers and toes I hope?”

Sansa’s face dropped. Why did she mention Robb? Why did she get herself in this position? But all she could think of when she saw Davos’ tattoo was the Westerosi Navy Symbol on Robb’s crisp uniform the day he graduated from the academy. He was so happy, his face held a barely contained grin, and she never knew she could feel so proud of her big brother. Davos’ smile fell, his frown somehow seemed to deepen.

“He didn’t come back.” Sansa whispered. She looked up from the well-worn bar top into Davos’ sea-blue eyes. The held so much understanding and empathy, a glint of deep set sorrow only someone who has lost a person they hold dear can possess.

“I’d say ‘I’m sorry for your loss,’ but I know you’re probably sick to death of hearing it.” Davos sighed, looked down at the new drinks the bartender had set down, then caught her eyes again. “They say it’ll get easier, but that’s not true. Less unfair maybe, but never easy.”

The red head made a half-hearted smile. “I know what you mean. Some days you see something that reminds you of them and it all comes crashing back.” Her voice began to break as she felt tears well up behind her eyes, “And then you hate yourself for the days you forget. You beat yourself up inside for not feeling the pain at every waking moment because how can you forget them? But then pain becomes the only memory you have.”

The tears began to fall and Sansa felt like an utter failure for crying in front of a complete stranger at a bar on a Monday night. She was trying to wipe them away to stop her mascara from running when Davos handed her a hankerchief.

“I didn’t know people still carried these.” She said, using it to dab her eyes.

Davos let out a single, breathy laugh, “Well one can never be too careful. You never know when you’ll run into a damsel in distress.”

Sansa took a deep breath to compose herself, then she met his eyes with hers. “You lost someone too didn’t you?”

The dormant sorrow in his eyes grew only a fraction, but Sansa knew that pain had just flooded his soul.

“My son,” he said “today is his birthday.”

There was a pause, Sansa didn’t know what to say. She had always felt guilty about her grief for Robb when she was around her parents. She had lost her brother, but she could not imagine what it felt like to lose a child. Not just a baby or a young kid, but a child you had raised for over two decades and seen grow into an excellent man. To Sansa, it seemed like the worst kind of grief a person could experience.

“I can’t imagine how difficult that is,” the hum of the sparse crowd and gentle music seemed to soften, “I feel silly now for heaping my sob story onto you.”

“There’s no need to apologize,” he reached out and gently held her clutched hands, “no one’s grief is any more or less valid than someone else’s.”

It seemed impossible that someone could be so comforting and empathetic, when they themselves were drifting on the seas of sorrow. Sansa smiled, this time with warmth and a sense of peace.

“Thank you.” she said, so softly he could barely hear her. A shout of her name from the other side of the bar broke the moment and Sansa saw the boys were getting ready to leave.

“Here,” Sansa rummaged through her purse and found a pen. She wasn’t sure why she was doing this, but her intuition was telling her that she needed to. That this person not only understood her, but needed her too. Sansa wasn’t sure what this feeling meant, however, she’d had enough bad experiences by not listening to her gut that she’d learned to really trust it no matter what. “This is my number,” se scribbled the digits onto her margarita’s coaster and handed it to him “call me sometime. If you ever need to talk.”

“Sansa!” Theon yelled from the door, “we’re ready to blow this joint!”

Sansa glimpsed once more into Davos’ wonderful, sad blue eyes and hurried away into the autumn night.


	2. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As before, this hasn't been edited for spelling/grammar errors. I have no clue when the next chapter will be up, hopefully before Thanksgiving.

“What do you think, Seaworth?”

Davos broke out of his reverie and locked onto Stannis’ scowling gaze. It wasn’t like him to be distracted, but he’d had a lot more on his mind than normal recently. Well, one thing in particular- the melancholic young redhead from last night. For the life of him, Davos could not quite figure her out. She was grieving of course, but there was a deeper loneliness about her.

“I’m not so sure if we can trust the Martell’s to oversee the safety procedures correctly,” he quickly responded, “I think we should send down one of our own subcontractors to make sure we don’t end up with another recordable this quarter, but other than that I don’t see any problems.”

Stannis nodded in assent and adjourned the meeting. Once Davos made it back to his office, he let out a sigh. He doesn’t want to be here. He doesn’t want to be standing on the 40th floor of Baratheon Tower at 8 o’clock at night on the day after what would have been his only son’s 25th birthday. He wants to be halfway through a bottle of vodka and he wants to _forget_ because no matter how much his conscious mind knows it wasn’t his fault, he still feels the unbearable weight of guilt. The truth was if he had been a better father, Matthos would still be here.

Davos sat down at his desk and tilted his head back to rest on the top of the chairback.  Gods, sometimes he wished he just didn’t exist. His mind drifted back to the previous night and the young woman. _Sansa, her name is Sansa._ He didn’t know why it mattered to him, but he knew she wouldn’t like to see him destroying himself like this. A ping came from his suit jacket pocket, announcing the newest email, probably from Stannis, that had just entered his inbox. Davos took out his phone, but instead of opening the email app he opened his contacts, scrolled down to _S_ , and tapped on Sansa’s name. After he’d sent the text, he started to feel anxious. It probably wasn’t the best decision to put her number in his phone last night, but he’d made his bed and now he had to lie in it.

 

 

 

All in all, Sansa had had a pretty good day.  She’d finished all her studying quicker than she had anticipated and Professor Luwin had pushed back their test to next week. Currently, Sansa was catching up on the latest episode of WTV’s series about the Targaryen conquest of Westoros, aptly called _Conquerors_. Suddenly, her phone vibrated and Sansa looked down to check it.

_This is Davos Seaworth, from last night. Can we talk?_

Sansa’s heart jumped. To be completely honest, she never expected him to actually contact her. In hindsight, that might have been a slightly foolish assumption, but right now she was in need of some counsel. Sansa pulled out her head phones and paused the episode.

 “Marg!” she yelled. Margaery immediately popped her head through Sansa’s doorway. “What’s up ginger snaps?” Margaery asked. Sansa launched into an explanation of the events of the previous night and explained how now she had just gotten the text and that she had absolutely _no clue_ what to do.

“So he’s cute then?” Margaery smiled slightly

“What? I didn’t say that!”

“Well the fact that you’ve worked yourself into so much of a tizzy over a single text says it.” Sansa huffed in annoyance and Margaery pulled out her own phone and opened her browser. “What’s his name again? Davos Seaward?”

“Seaworth,” Sansa corrected.

“Oooh Sansa, you didn’t say he was older. But damn I’d tap that too.” Margaery held her phone in front of Sansa, showing Davos’ LinkedIn page and profile picture. “Looks like he works at Baratheon Enterprises. Honestly Sansa, if you don’t text him back I will. A successful silver fox like this isn’t as easy to come across as some might think.”

“Okay, fine. He’s kinda cute.” Sansa admitted, “But what am I supposed to say?”

“Just say ‘yes’ dummy!” Margaery turned to leave and gave Sansa another smirk, “Just so we’re clear, I get a cut of the inheritance once he croaks.”

A pillow sailed through the air towards Margaery’s head, but she easily dodged it and left Sansa’s room with a giggle. Sansa steadied herself and quickly sent the text. She wasn’t sure how long she sat staring at her phone in silent anxiety, but it seemed like hours. She nearly dropped her phone when it started to vibrate indicating an incoming call from Davos.

_Well, here goes nothing._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to my Dad for talking about work all time and indirectly teaching me some ‘business lingo’


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A date?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not edited for grammar and spelling yada yada yada you know the drill.
> 
> This chapter was somewhat inspired by the song “Pusher” by Alt-J

“Hello?” Sansa’s voice came out at a higher pitch than she intended.

“Hello, Sansa?”

“Yes, yes, it’s me.” The beat of her heart increased; she could hear her pulse in her ears so loudly she feared she wouldn’t be able to hear his response.

“Oh good, yes um. I was just, uh, wondering if you might be open to maybe meeting up. To talk.”

 _Oh gods he’s nervous too._ This gave her a bit more courage and she decided to take the lead.

“Yes, I’d like that. How does Blackwater beach sound?” The beach was the first public area she could think of. It was never empty and she knew it well (she had been to a couple bonfires there last spring). Sansa liked Davos, and he seemed like a very good man, but she was also a young woman and she knew it was better safe than sorry. “What time and day would work best for you?”

“Anytime on the weekend is fine. I tend to work late on weekdays.”

“How about Sunday afternoon? Around one o’clock?”

“Sounds perfect.” Sansa could hear the smile in his voice. It made her smile too.

“All right see you then!”

After Sansa hung up she let out a deep breath she didn’t even know she was holding. Now she had to face Margaery and give her the details, which was almost as daunting as the conversation she just finished.

 

 

How in the name of the Seven Davos had gotten himself into this, he didn’t know. Standing on the beach, with waves rhythmically rolling in under the gray, cloudy sky, he felt as if he was in a childhood dream. He had grown up by the sea and it always seemed to bring him peace. The cliffs overlooking Blackwater Bay had been a frequent haunt of his the year following Matthos’ passing. Today he was glad he had the comforting waves to dull his nerves.

He half expected her not to show. Why would she? He was a sad old man without a soul in the world. No normal person would want anything to do with him. But Sansa wasn’t really an average woman. Davos was reminded of her compassionate eyes. Despite her own pain, she had picked up on his emotions and exuded an energy of such empathy he had never before experienced in his 54 years of life.

A gentle touch on his forearm startled him out of his thoughts. Davos turned his head and saw Sansa’s beautiful face smiling at him. He couldn’t help smiling back.

“How long have you been waiting here?”  Her hair was flowing all around in the breeze like the dancing flame of a candle.

“Oh, not terribly long. It’s no trouble anyway, I like the sea.”

“I enjoy it too, but growing up in the North I guess I’m more biased towards the mountains in winter. We would build the most amazing snowforts.” Her face lit up and eyes grew distant at the thought of long forgotten memories.

“My sister Arya, cousin Jon, and little brother Rickon would always build one and me, Robb, and my other brother Bran would build another. Then we would have ruthless snowball fights until we all got too wet and cold to stand being outside any longer.” She let out a little laugh and shook her head slightly, “Mother was never happy when we came back nearly frozen stiff.”

“Well worth the punishment though, I’m sure.” Teased Davos, a broad grin stretched across his bearded face.

“Oh yes, definitely.” She smiled, “One time Rickon accidentally hit me with a chunk of ice and I got a huge purple bruise on my shoulder. Mother was so mad after that, she would have never let us have snowball fights again if Robb hadn’t taken the blame. He said since he was the oldest it was his fault, he should have made sure we were more careful. Better padding and whatnot.” Sansa’s face fell slightly, “He was always trying to be hero like that.”

A silence passed through them like a ghost on the wind. Seagulls cawed in the distance and the crashing waves continued their steady tattoo.

“How long has it been?” Davos asked.

“A year and 2 months,” Sansa was looking away from him now, out to sea “It doesn’t feel like it’s been that long.”

“One day it will feel like it was a lifetime ago,” said Davos. She turned to look up at him. “Everyone else will move on in life. You’ll move on. Everything will feel like a dream. The good times will be easier to remember without bringing back the bad as well.”

Sansa gently took his hand that was resting at his side and Davos swore at that moment she looked straight into his soul.

“Tell me about him.” It wasn’t a demand, more like a soft question that held no expectation of an answer, only the gentle comfort of compassion.

“Matthos was such a bright kid, always trying to learn everything he could about everything he saw. And he felt things so deeply, you could tell. He experienced the highest joys and the deepest sorrows, and he was everything to me,” a knot began to form in the back of his through and he swallowed to try to keep it from growing, “His mother left when he was about two, so it was only ever just us. He was my world.”

Davos squeezed her hand slightly and slowly took a breath. “He hung himself when he was nineteen. I was the one that found him. Sometimes I think if I hadn’t been working so much, I might have been able to save him.”

Sansa touched his cheek and gently guided his gaze back to her.

“It wasn’t your fault. I’m sure he loved you and he didn’t blame you. Everyone has demons to fight.” Sansa stared into his stormy blue eyes, “You and I both know that first hand.”

At that moment, Sansa had never felt more connected to another human being. The tension broke abruptly at the sound of a child’s cry from a few yards down the beach. Davos quickly looked down and Sansa removed her hand. A silence returned between them and they stared off down the beach at the young family beginning to build a sand castle. Eventually Sansa spoke.

“Does it ever feel like you have a wound on your heart? Like a blade has cut across it’s surface and now there’s an angry red scab there?’

Davos contemplated her words for a second.

“I suppose so, only it’s more of a scar for me now. I remember what it feels like and it reminds me that I’m not the same as I used to be. But it’s not so painful, more like a dull ache at times.”

The young woman nodded her head. “That makes sense.”

He turned his body to face her.

“The most difficult part to overcome is letting yourself be happy again. I’m not even there yet. It feels like if you let yourself feel happy for a second-“

“-that something awful will happen again.” Sansa was looking down at her trainers on the wet sand.

 _She doesn’t deserve this._ Davos thought _No one with such a beautiful soul should ever deserve this._

He lightly placed his hand on her shoulder. She turned in towards him and hugged his sturdy chest. Davos momentarily stood still out of surprise, but swiftly returned her embrace. When they broke apart, he saw the tear stains on her red cheeks. Davos stared into her deep blue eyes, as Sansa placed both of her hand on the sides of his face. Steadily, she lifted herself up by her toes and touched her lips to his.

At first, he was shocked to say the least, but he gradually leaned into her kiss. He didn’t know why she was kissing him, or what would come of it. All he wanted was to show her affection and to take all her pain, all her grief, and rest it on his shoulders. However, her kiss felt to him like air to a drowning man and he realized he needed her fire, her compassion, as much as she needed his.

She broke the kiss suddenly and gasped in a breath, but quickly returned, this time more gently, full of a simmering desire. Neither were sure how long they held each other in such an intimate embrace, but eventually a chime from Sansa’s phone brought them to a definite halt.

 **Margaery:** _Are you dead or not?_

“Oh sorry, it’s my friend Margaery.” Sansa blushed, “I should probably go as well, it nearly supper time and I promised Marg I’d watch the new episode of _Conquerors_ with her tonight.”

“Yes, I should get going too,” he smiled “Can I see you again sometime?”

Sansa’s face absolutely beamed. “Yes! Yes, of course I’d love to see you again! Call me later tonight and we can make plans.”

She planted a quick kiss on his lips and hurried off to her car. Davos had not felt such warmth in his heart in many years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ao3 should really let you use emojis. Just imagine Margaery sent the eyes emoji at the end of that text.


	4. Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken me so long to update! I've been busy with school and I haven't found the motivation to write anything during the break until today. My goal is to get the last chapter up by Christmas day.

The remainder of the fall semester passed by all too quickly for Sansa. Tests and papers seemed to come and go much faster than normal. She supposed it was because she was, for once in her college career, actually happy. The majority of Sansa’s free time was spent with Davos. They went out to dinner at least once a week or met up for the occasional lunch date. Most often they would meet up at either his or her apartment and simply sit together in the living room while she studied, and he answered his mountain of daily emails. Sansa loved to be in his presence. It was so peaceful to just sit and feel the calm and comforting aura of the man she loved.

Davos was in absolute awe every single day. He could not believe such an intelligent, kind, and beautiful woman loved him, much less gave him the time of day. He’d been the one to say it first, a slip of the tongue when he said goodbye one night after driving her home. She’d kissed him before his mind was even done processing what he’d just said. Through teary eyes, Sansa had said the same. Davos counted that as one of the top five moments of his life.   

The positive change in Sansa had Margaery feeling over the moon with joy. Her heart felt so much more at easy knowing her friend was no longer wallowing in her grief. However, she never let up on hounding Sansa for details about Davos, even after Sansa introduced the two. That had been an interesting event. Margaery had barely said hello before asking why Davos was cockblocking her from her best friend. That sent Davos in a roar of laughter and from then on, the two got along splendidly.

Eventually the semester ended, and Christmas began to loom in the near future. Sansa and Davos both agreed it would be the best time for him to meet her family.

“Better get it all done at once.” He had said, and so the couple found themselves standing by the curb at Winterfell International Airport, the day before Christmas Eve, waiting for Arya to pick them up in her busted up old Jeep. Sansa had told her parents and siblings that she was dating someone, that he was kind and funny and gentle and that she loved him. She hadn’t exactly come around to mentioning that he was roughly 30 years her senior and divorced. But her mother had seemed very happy for Sansa and approving of Davos from everything Sansa had told her. She just hoped the good impression held up.

Davos gently took Sansa’s shaky hand.  “It’ll be all right. No matter what outcome, it’s not the end of the world.”

“I know that, but I don’t want them to judge you for things that you can’t control”

He raised an eyebrow and gave her a faint smirk, “You mean me being old?”

“No!”

“Well you did say I’m only two years younger than your father.”

She gave him a playful slap, “That doesn’t mean you’re old, silly. Besides, you’re much too immature to be old.”

A few minutes later, Arya’s Jeep pulled up and Sansa rushed to hug her sister. Arya embraced her sister as well, but was eyeing Davos over Sansa’s shoulder. Sansa pulled away and introduced Arya to Davos. The short brunette merely nodded and shook his hand before taking Sansa’s bag and throwing it in the back of her car. Davos quickly followed suit with his own. The short drive was silent except for the radio that hummed out Christmas tunes from the local classic rock station.

Upon arrival, Rickon nearly knocked Sansa over when her ran to give her the biggest bear hug he could muster. Sansa had a fondness for her littlest brother, he was wild but so full of love and laughter. She had thanked the gods many times that Robb’s death had not stolen all of Rickon’s innocence.

Arya got out of the Jeep and ruffled Rickon’s hair before walking through the front doorway where Catelyn was standing. Davos had just finished unloading the bags and carried them over to Sansa and Rickon as the pair broke their embrace. Sansa looked up to meet her mother’s eyes and marked the slightly tightened smile on her face. _So that’s how it’s going to be_ she thought _well it’s not unexpected._

“Who’s that?” Rickon pointed at Davos, an exaggerated frown on his face.

“That’s my boyfriend, Davos.” Sansa smiled. She thought his attempt to be menacing was quite cute.

“Oh okay.” Rickon thought for a second, “Jon says I’m supposed to bite you if you’re mean to Sansa.”

“Rickon!” Catelyn shouted, “That is no way to behave! You are eleven years old, not a toddler.”

“But Jon said-“

“I don’t care if Jon told you fly to the moon! You should know better. No come inside before you catch a cold. You’ve no jacket on.”

Davos and Sansa followed Rickon as he rushed back inside the Stark home. Catelyn shut the door once everyone was in and turned to face Sansa.

“Oh my sweetling, it’s good to see you.” Catelyn gently hugged her daughter.

“Mother, this is my boyfriend I’ve told you about, Davos Seaworth.” Sansa glanced nervously between the two.

Davos flashed her a smile and held out his hand. “Pleasure to meet you Mrs. Stark.”

“Of course, I’ve heard so much about you.” Catelyn shook his hand gently with both of hers. Catelyn glanced at Sansa and the younger red head knew there was a big conversation to come in the very near future.

“Why don’t you take the bags up to your-' Catelyn hesitated, “-room. I’m sure you’re tired from the flight. Sansa I’ve made up your old room, there are extra blankets in the cedar chest if you need them.”

The older woman smiled at them again and then walked off towards the kitchen.

“Well that could have gone worse.” Davos said as they unpacked their suitcases in Sansa’s room.

Sansa sighed, “Don’t count all your chickens yet. Father, Jon, and Bran haven’t gotten home yet. Though I don’t think you’ll have to worry about Bran. He’s very intuitive, I think he’ll understand.”

“Where are they, anyways?” asked Davos.

“Father and Jon are probably still at work. I’m not sure where Bran is though. Maybe at his friend Meera Reed’s.”

“No use worrying about them now.” Davos flopped down onto the queen-sized bed, “I don’t know about you, but I could definitely use an afternoon nap.”

Sansa couldn’t help but laugh before curling up next to him and drifting off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is interested in character ages:  
> Sansa – 20  
> Davos – 54  
> Jon – 23  
> Arya – 17  
> Bran – 16  
> Rickon – 11  
> Ned – 56  
> Catelyn - 55
> 
> Jon is Lyanna's son and she died in childbirth, so the Starks adopted him. No one knows who his father is, so his name is Jon Stark. Also, I think Rickon was an 'oops' baby in this fic lol.


	5. Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yea, yeah I know I'm a few days late but hey! I finished!

A thin strip of orange light beamed on the horizon, basking Sansa’s childhood room in a soft, dim glow, when Davos opened his eyes. He sat up and turned to see the woman he loved still in a gentle slumber. The corners of his lips twitch up in a smile, he would have watched her sleep for a few more minutes if he hadn’t needed to use the bathroom so badly. Davos slowly rose from the bed with the upmost care not to wake her. He silently crept towards the door and once it was closed softly behind him, he looked down the hallway to try and find his desired destination.

The Stark home was somewhat larger than he imagined. The stairway was at one end of a hall that extended for about 15 feet before splitting to both the right and left, giving the upper floor a tee shape. Sansa’s room was the first door near the stairs, so Davos began to walk down the hallway and check every door. He found an office, a small library, and two more bedrooms by the time he reached the end of it. As he turned the corner to the right, a solid mass crashed into him. Davos let out a surprised yelp and before he could assess what had just happened, a fist met his jaw. Davos clutched his face and let out a pained moan as he stumbled a few steps backward. At this point he was finally able to make out a short young man with a mop of black hair, fists still raised in defense.

“What are you doing in my house?” The man demanded, his dark gray eyes gleaming. Davos removed his hands from his jaw and took in a breath.

“What the hell boy!” Davos proclaimed, “I’m Sansa’s boyfriend. Who on earth did you think I was?”

The dark haired man relaxed his posture and lowered his fists, his expression now beheld slight embarrassment.

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry,” the man held out his hand, “I’m Jon. Sansa’s cousin”

Davos tentatively took Jon’s outstretched hand.

“I thought you were an intruder,” Jon blushed slightly, “I, uh, wasn’t expecting someone who is well, um-“

“-so old?” Davos offered, an eyebrow raised in amusement.

Jon blushed even more deeply. “Yes, I guess so.”

“No harm done Jon,” said Davos, “You have quite the reflexes. That’s good.”

“Thank you, Mr…”

“Seaworth,” Davos smiled, “but please call me Davos. I don’t want to make this whole ‘meet the family deal’ more awkward than it needs to be.”

Jon smiled back at him and said, “Well its nice to meet you Davos.”

 

 

Sansa awoke to a dark room and an empty bed. She glanced at the clock and surmised that Davos must have woken up a while ago, as he never could nap for more than an hour. The red head yawned and then made her way towards the kitchen downstairs.

As she reached the bottom of the staircase, Sansa noticed Arya, typing on her phone while sitting in the parlor room that was just to the right of the front entrance. Sansa had been quite surprised by Arya’s quiet behavior on the drive home from Winterfell International. Out of all her siblings, she assumed Arya would be the most talkative and opinionated when it came to her new boyfriend. The elder sister entered the parlor and sat next to the younger on the sofa.

“Arya,” Sansa started in a gentle tone, “I was just wondering-“

“Is he good to you?” her sister looked up from her phone and met Sansa’s eyes with a piercing gaze, “I don’t really care what he looks like. I just want to know you’re safe and being respected. I can’t allow any of my siblings to live in danger. Not after Robb.”

Tears began to well in Sansa’s eyes as she embraced her little sister tightly. “Yes, Arya,” she assured, “He’s the best thing that’s happened to me in a very long time.”

“Good.” said Arya as Sansa broke away, “But just so you know, I’ll beat his ass at the drop of a hat if you ask me too.”

Sansa laughed and wiped her tears with her hands.

“Yes, well, I’ll keep that in mind. Now come on, lets go see how far along Mom is with dinner.”

 

Davos never could have imagined he’d ever enjoy the company of a man who had just punched him in the face so quickly. Jon, however, was a likeable and upstanding young man and the two men just seemed to click. They had similar interests, such as history and politics, but most importantly they shared similar morals and an outlook on life.

The two men had been having a beer and chatting in the living room for about an hour before Ned Stark walked in. Davos immediately got to his feet and introduced himself. Eddard Stark had a strong handshake, but Davos gave as good as he got. The tension in the room was palpable, but Jon was able to slowly ease the men back into conversation. Ned was incredibly similar to Jon, if not quite as emotional, and Davos soon found that he too had much in common with the Stark patriarch. After about another hour of genial conversation, Ned finally turned the subject to the elephant in the room.

“So, what are your intentions with my daughter?” Ned asked in a flat tone that betrayed no emotion or opinion.

“Mr. Stark, I love your daughter very much,” said Davos, “and I believe she loves me too. I would never do anything to hurt her. I’d die before I’d cause her any pain.”

Ned studied Davos’ face for a few long seconds.

“I believe you.” Said the grey-eyed man, “I admit it’s not ideal, in my opinion, for Sansa to be with someone practically my age. But I do believe you will take care of her and if you are what she wants, then I have no right to stand in her way.”

Davos nodded.

“I appreciate that Mr. Stark.”

Meanwhile, Catelyn had been listening from the kitchen across the hall and was starting to wonder if maybe her initial impression of Davos was a bit harsh.

 

 

The Stark sisters sauntered into the kitchen just as Catelyn was pondering the words she had overheard.

“So Mom, what’s for dinner?” asked Arya.

“Arya, you know I don’t like to hear that question.” Catelyn answered sternly.

“Oh all right I’m sorry.”

“To answer your question, it is roast beef,” said Catelyn, “Now why don’t you go pick up Bran. It’ll be done in about fifteen minutes.

Arya shot Sansa a quick, worried glance before heading towards the door. Sansa exhaled deeply before meeting her mother’s eyes.

“Mother, if this is about Davos, I can assure you-“

Catelyn cut her off with a quick wave of her hand.

“Sansa, he is a good man, but I am concerned that this cannot last.”

The younger woman rubbed her hands, a habit of hers when she was nervous, then steeled herself mentally.

“Mom, please. I know you are concerned, but I truly love him. He is so sweet, and conscientious and kind and he understands me. He understands about _Robb_.” Sansa’s eye’s displayed the pure truth of her words, “He’s not everything you want for me, I know, but he’s everything _I_ want. Everything I need. We won’t have as much time together as most, that’s true, and I will probably have to care for him when he’s old. But Mom I’ve never felt so happy and at peace before. This is right. I know it is.”

Catelyn reached for her daughter and brought her in to a tight hug. She stroked her daughter’s hair as silent tears of happiness and pride fell from her face. Sansa knew that things were going to be all right.

 

 

Dinner that night was a joyous affair. As Sansa had suspected, Bran was almost instantly in tune to the situation. He gave Davos and Sansa a knowing smile and said not one word about it. Rickon dominated a good portion of the conversation with descriptions of toys he wanted for Christmas, while Jon and Arya made funny faces at each other when Catelyn wasn’t looking. Ned made a speech about how thankful he was to be with his family, both old and new. Sansa Stark couldn’t imagine a more perfect evening. She was surrounded by her family, with the man she loved, full of excitement for not only the next few days at home to come, but the many years ahead as well.

 


End file.
